10 Essentials: Brandon Svarc

When it comes to jeans, no company works in extremes quite like Naked Famous Denim. The buzzed-about Canadian label's products range from the classic (slim-cut raw denim and nice and stiff oord shirts) to the ridiculous (glow-in-the-dark jeans and denim yarmulkes). So it makes sense that Brandon Svarc—the 28-year-old wunderkind behind Naked Famous and its recently launched sister label Paulrose Products—is charmingly eccentric yet incredibly stylish, just like the goods he hawks. We caught up with the fast-talking, self-proclaimed nerd at his family's Montreal warehouse to discuss his everyday necessities and guilty pleasures.

Photo: Mackenzie Duncan

1. Vintage Dior Frames

"I bought these from a dude named Corey Shapiro, who's friends with all the hip-hop guys in the United States. I went to Jewish summer camp with him back in the day. They're just super classic. It's all made of one piece of acetate so it's super strong. The acetate has these lines on it, and when you look at it from different angles it looks almost like a lenticular."

Photo: vintageframesshop.com

2. Veilance Waterproof and Windproof Jacket

"The weather here in Montreal is obviously brutal. I can take the cold—we get down to -40 degrees Celsius here—but I can't take the wind. If it's cold, fine, you can bundle up with a jacket. But once the wind hits, you're toast. So I really, really wanted a windproof jacket for winter. This one is 100% waterproof and windproof. It also bunches up into a ball so it's easy to throw in an overhead while traveling."

Photo: veilance.arcteryx.com

3. Cherry Blasters Sour Candy

"I have to cut down on these because I just had a root canal—and I do not recommend root canals—but I am obsessed with candy. Sour candy specifically. Cherry Blasters are my favorite. That sour kick with the cherry flavor is incredible. When I was a little bit younger, I could eat $30 worth of candy just on the weekend. I once ate 13 Atomic Warheads in a row, which I also don't recommend. Those have three kinds of acid in them. My entire tongue turned white and peeled off like a snake."

Photo: amazon.com

4. Fix Men Holding Clay

"I used to have spiky hair, but just before I started the line, I switched over to the coiffed-1950s-hitman-nerd look. It sticks my hair into place and that's the way it goes."

Photo: Courtesy of Quantum

5. Kai Fabric Scissors

"This is just a masterpiece of a scissor. They're made in Japan in the same city where they make 10x's forged steel samurai swords. These can cut through 32-ounce denim, no problem. I also happen to do denim origami. These have helped me make samurai hats and dogs and birds like a pro."

Photo: kaiscissors.com

6. Tumi Luggage

"Once in Tokyo, I was late catching my bullet train. I had to run through Shinjuku station, which has 150,000 people passing through it a day, with two of these. My friend had one little bag, but he still couldn't keep up with me. Part of it was that these bags are so sturdy and have good wheels. The rest of it was that I'm just an expert."

Photo: tumi.com

7. ASUS Netbook

"This laptop is lightweight, small, and does everything I need. If I break it, I won't feel bad either because it only costs about $400. I do all my e-mails from it, and I have Illustrator on it so I can design hangtags if I need to."

Photo: asus.com

8. Naked Famous Denim Raw Tapered Leg Jeans

"I think everyone needs a super clean pair of basic jeans that they can just beat to death. I wore this pair every day for one year without washing, which my wife was very impressed by of course. People ask me all the time, 'When do I wash for the first time? What are the rules?' If somebody gives you 'rules,' tell them they're a bullshitter. If I'm an accountant or I'm a bike rider, six months or so is going to look very different. It's a personal thing."

Photo: Elissa Wiehn

9. Velvet Underground Albums

"The beautiful part about the Velvet Underground's music is that it was simple and something that everyone can sing along to, but it was still fierce. They also played as few notes as possible. There was less bullshit and stuff built in."

Photo: amazon.com

10. Native Son Suit

"This suit—aside from our jeans—is the greatest piece of clothing I've ever owned in my life. No question about it. They use three-piece floating canvas construction, so it just falls on you like no other suit in the world. Fabric-, fit-, and construction-wise, it's the greatest suit I've ever owned. I got it from the designer behind the line, Kyle Fitzgibbons. He gets all of his stuff made by Martin Greenfield in Brooklyn, who is legendary. He has made suits for like the last four presidents. I met him and he told me 'Oh, yeah, I just got back from fitting Obama.' "

When it comes to jeans, no company works in extremes quite like Naked Famous Denim. The buzzed-about Canadian label's products range from the classic (slim-cut raw denim and nice and stiff oord shirts) to the ridiculous (glow-in-the-dark jeans and denim yarmulkes). So it makes sense that Brandon Svarc—the 28-year-old wunderkind behind Naked Famous and its recently launched sister label Paulrose Products—is charmingly eccentric yet incredibly stylish, just like the goods he hawks. We caught up with the fast-talking, self-proclaimed nerd at his family's Montreal warehouse to discuss his everyday necessities and guilty pleasures.